1. Field of Invention
The present application is based upon U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/102,477, filed on Sep. 30, 1998, entitled Fast File CD Storage. The present invention relates generally to the field of media storage devices. More specifically, the present invention is related to storing compact discs and their associated literature.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Compact discs are traditionally shipped, stored and displayed in rigid plastic boxes often referred to as jewel cases or jewel boxes. Literature which accompanies the disc is held in the jewel case as well. Most commonly this literature takes the form of liner notes and a case liner that identify the contents of the case and provide additional information about the associated compact disc. Typically, a case liner has two xc2xcxe2x80x3end sections called xe2x80x9cspine labelsxe2x80x9d. These spine labels fold into the side edges of the jewel case to provide a terse identification of the case""s contents.
While jewel cases adequately protect compact discs, they have serious drawbacks. Jewel cases break and damage easily and they are relatively expensive to manufacture. Further, some people have difficulty operating the locking hub mechanism to release a compact disc from its holder and these cases are much too thick to allow dense storage of compact discs and their literature.
One alternative to jewel cases is thin plastic envelopes which are usually held in rigid book-like or in soft zippered wallet-like cases. These envelopes address some of the shortcomings of jewel cases but have their own set of weaknesses. Often, these envelopes are very thin and make inserting and removing a compact disc very difficult, if not impossible. They are typically two sheets of plastic sealed around a number of edges that create a wedge shape that pinches the envelope contents during insertion and retrieval. Also, failure to hold both case liners and liner notes is one of the greatest drawbacks of envelope-type holders. Of the envelopes that do accommodate some type of literature, they often do not allow easy insertion and removal of the literature, they sometimes require mutilation of the literature to fit within the envelope, and they fail to fully display the literature to assist with the indexing and retrieving of compact discs. The prior art, as discussed below, has these, as well as other, differences from the current invention.
The patent to Colangelo U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,153 provides for a Flexible Disk Cartridge Envelope. A floppy disk holder is illustrated by this patent with an over-sized pocket. However, no discussion of compact discs, transparency or spine label visibility is provided.
The patent to Youngs U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,731 provides for a Compact Disc Storage Container Non-Scratching Surface. A sleeve is described which provides visible access to both a CD and accompanying graphic literature. However, display of an intact spine label as an indexing means is not discussed.
The patent to Mitsuyama U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,195 provides for a Disc Case. A transparent storage sleeve with a tab area and a holder for literature is described. Easily accommodating the spine label to provide a scannable index, however, is not described.
The patent to Henkel U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,681 provides for an Envelope Storage for Compact Discs. A transparent envelope CD storage system is described but involves shrink wrapping the media and fails to discuss storage of case liners and notes.
The patent to Youngs U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,160 provides for a Storage Container With Integral Flap. A transparent sleeve storage system for compact discs is described which uses the spine label for identification purposes. However, the spine label needs to be detached and is placed on the inside edge of the sleeve rather than an outside edge.
The patent to Oshry et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,977, assigned to Roundhouse Products, Inc, provides for a Sleeve and Storage Device for Planar Articles. A general teaching of a clear-sleeve CD indexing and storage system is described. The sleeves, however, do not appear to hold anything except a CD.
The patent to Durr U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,217 provides for a Compact Disc Sleeve Package. A foldable CD sleeve is described which provides side tabs to make the pocket easier to use. However, the described sleeve is for mailing and does not discuss visibility of the media or the case liner.
The patent to Collins U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,216 provides for a Holder for Compact Disc and the Like. FIG. 8 of this patent illustrates a foldable CD sleeve, however, the sleeve is made from paper rather than a transparent material and makes no provision for the visibility of the contents within the sleeve.
The patent to Ho U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,063 provides for a Plastic Loose-Leaf Bag Capable of Storing a Compact Disk Therein. A foldable transparent envelope is described which holds a compact disc. A tab portion on the sleeve is also illustrated in FIG. 2 of this patent; however, no discussion of spine label or other literature visibility is provided.
The patent to Hartstone U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,764 provides for a Disc Storage Arrangement. Although directed to a CD storage system, a sleeve is described which forms two pockets, one for a CD and one for a booklet. While a region is provided for tab information, accommodating spine labels does not appear to be mentioned.
The patent to Neely U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,805 provides for a Label Assembly for Package Sleeve Accommodating a Storage Media Disc and Method for Sealing a Package Sleeve. A protective disk mailer is described which places textual information near the top edge of the mailer to aid with identification.
Whatever the precise merits, features and advantages of the above cited references, none of them achieves or fulfills the purposes of the present invention. They fail to provide for a compact disc storage envelope which protects the literature and the disc, allows for easy insertion and removal of the literature and disc, and displays an intact spine label to facilitate easy indexing and identification of envelope contents.
A thin transparent envelope is used to hold compact discs, DVDs, other electronic recording discs, case liners and liner notes. The envelope is thinner than a traditional jewel case to allow denser storage of multiple disks. An extended portion of the envelope securely holds the case liner and intact spine labels and allows a clear view of the spine label to allow for easy identification of the envelope""s contents. In addition, two pockets are formed by side flaps folded over more than 180xc2x0 by two or more closely-spaced folds in combination with said extended portion tucked therein. The space between the folds allows the pockets to easily accommodate separate insertion and removal of discs and literature. Typically, a number of the envelopes are encased in a card-catalogue storage device. This allows rapid identification and retrieval of compact discs by means of scrolling (thumbing through) the displayed spine labels. Alternatively, a number of the envelopes are bound together along their bottom edges and encased in a storage device which is opened to allow expansion of the binding. This exposes all of the displayed spine labels simultaneously and, therefore, allows even more rapid identification and retrieval by permitting scanning of all the displayed spine labels.